Ep 7: Talking About Caulking | How to Choose the Right Caulk

You can find the episode here: Podcast

We have a packed episode for you this week!

In Episode 07, the whole crew is here to celebrate some major life moments: Arly’s new niece, GooGoo, has arrived, and our fearless leader Samantha just turned 50! To celebrate the big birthday, the family (Samantha, Jim, Emily, and Hannah) took a trip to New York City. The highlights included seeing Hamilton (cue the happy tears) and a slightly violent incident at the airport. In a moment of pure excitement, Samantha went to playfully kick Emily in the butt... missed... and walloped Emily’s hand instead. (Don't worry, everyone survived, but we may need to bubble-wrap Samantha when she gets excited).

After the travel stories, Arly turned the studio into a game show for our first-ever "Talk About Caulk" Trivia Challenge.

If you have ever stood in Home Depot staring at 500 different tubes wondering which one to buy, this cheat sheet is for you.

1. The "Trim & Paint" Bestie: Siliconized Latex

What is it? Often labeled as "Acrylic Latex" or "Siliconized Latex" (like DAP Alex Plus or Alex Flex). The Vibe: It is sticky, but it cleans up easily with water. Where to use it: Baseboards, trim, molding, and door casings. Why we love it: It is paintable. If you are filling gaps in your woodwork before painting, this is the one you want. Do NOT use: In a shower or underwater. It is water-resistant, not waterproof.

2. The "Waterproof" Heavyweight: 100% Silicone

What is it? Pure silicone. The Vibe: It smells strongly of vinegar (that’s the acetic acid) and it is very slippery and messy to work with. Where to use it: Showers, bathtubs, sinks, and glass. Why we love it: It is completely waterproof and flexible. It won't shrink or crack when it gets wet. The Catch: You CANNOT paint it. If you paint over 100% silicone, the paint will bead up and won't stick.

3. The "Invisible" Fix: Sanded Caulk

What is it? A colored caulk that has a gritty texture added to it. Where to use it: Tile transitions. Specifically, where your tile wall meets your tub or floor. Why we love it: It mimics the texture of grout. Houses move, and standard grout will crack in corners. Sanded caulk flexes with the movement but still looks like the rest of your grout lines.

4. The Driveway Doctor: Concrete & Mortar Repair

What is it? A textured, gray sealant designed for masonry. Where to use it: Cracks in your driveway, sidewalks, or brick mortar. Why we love it: It is designed to withstand UV rays and weather, and the texture helps it blend into concrete so you don't have shiny rubber lines all over your driveway.

5. When NOT to Caulk: Outside Corners

During the game show, we threw in a trick question. What do you use for the outside corner of a baseboard gap? The Answer: Wood Filler. The Reason: Caulk shrinks as it dries. If you put it on an outside corner, it will concave and look terrible. Wood filler dries hard and can be sanded flat for a perfect corner.

Want to play along with the Game Show? Listen to Episode 07 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch the chaos unfold on YouTube!

Disclaimer: Don’t eat the caulk. We know it looks like forbidden frosting, but please don’t.

Transcript:

Here is the clean transcript without the names attached, perfect for the bottom of your blog post.

We're back! Welcome to another episode of How to Handyma'am.

Hi friends! Welcome to How to Handyma'am, the podcast where we... [chicken noise]

In this episode, we talk about caulk. And we also talk about my 50th birthday.

Yay!

Fan-girling over Hamilton.

And Taylor Swift.

And Taylor Swift. And... I forgot what else.

Just fun times in New York City.

Fun times in New York City. And a few other things.

Lots of other things. I'm Samantha.

I'm Emily.

And I'm Arly. And this is How to Handyma'am. In this episode... oh, this episode we are dedicating to my very own baby niece. And I've been calling her GooGoo since she was announced to the world.

Since she was just a tiny little bean.

Since she was just a tiny little thing. Anyway, she is the best thing in the entire world. And I just... I miss her so much I haven't seen her in a couple of days. But I dedicate this to you, GooGoo, and hopefully one day you'll be so proud of your Auntie Arly.

Yes! May we be them, may we raise them.

Yes.

Yeah. Here we go folks! Let's start the episode.

[Music]

I have a quick chatting topic.

Okay, tell us. Let's hear it.

Obviously, we've said it, this isn't going to be in real time.

Boop. That was scary.

We lost the light.

We lost the light.

So if the light just got suddenly... 25% harsher, that would be why. But this week, December 1st, our dearest fearless leader, Samantha, turned 50!

Yay!

Which no one believes she's 50. We barely believe it either, except for the fact that I'm 26. So, I hope you're 50.

Yes, I'm 50.

Otherwise... teen bride. Or teen mom. But... 50 years of you is like such a great blessing and as our listeners will know, you're so bubbly and fun and the world was blessed 50 years ago.

Aww, thank you so much.

That's my chatting topic.

I think you're okay.

Arly's like... I'm gonna give you a sideways thumb.

I'm like... three.

And now that I hyped her up... I get to tell a fun story. Now that I hyped her up I can tell a fun story about... We just went into New York City to celebrate her 50th birthday and we saw Hamilton. But Miss Ma'am over here started the trip—she does this thing, she's done it since my childhood where she like side-kicks weird and like gently kicks us in the butt. She's always done it. She used to do it at church, which was freaking hilarious. But... she did it on the way in. She was so hyped up about getting to see Hamilton live with Leslie Odom Jr.

Oh yeah.

So on the way to the airport, this girl is basically on like a sugar high that's just a life high. And she goes to kick my butt and she like wallops my hand. And I'm like "Ow!" And then she's just... then is like, "Oh no, I missed." And then kicks me again! And I just told her today she did that and she was like, "What? This girl..." I was like, "Ow! That hurt!" And then you were like, "La la la la la!" like skipping through the airport so excited, like you meant to do something funny. And I turned to Dad and he said, "Your wife just kicked me." And he was like, "What can I do? I can't do anything about it." And I was like, "Okay, moving on." Cause you literally did... you didn't even... it's not even like you meant to be rude. Like you were being silly, didn't mean to like literally kick my hand.

No, I'm sorry about that.

And then you were like, "La la la la la I'm just gonna skip through the airport."

I remember the first time that she did that to me. And I was like... I was like, "I think I've been sexually harassed at work." I didn't realize that it was your foot.

Oh no.

And I had just been spanked by my boss at work.

I don't know how to describe it. It's basically like you can stand beside somebody, and when you're standing next to somebody...

Your leg turns into like a U.

Yeah you can't kick them. Unless you can bend your leg backwards and sideways at the same time.

I call it the side swipe.

Okay, for listeners, I'll just show for watchers real quick. She goes like this [demonstrates motion]. One more time. There you go. So she did that, but she did that right into my pinky finger.

I'm sorry for what I did when I was excited about Hamilton.

Yeah, she was literally like gleeful. And then she was gleeful right after we saw the show. And then the post-show hangover sadness hit.

That was one of the best days of my life.

Aww.

It was so good. It was one of those occasions where you were looking forward to something so much and then it's everything you hoped it would be.

It was like better than that.

It was so good. From the moment the first note came on I was just like... [gasp]... wow.

I forgot that it opens with him. With Leslie Odom Jr. So like...

It was so good.

It was literally like... turn off your phones, blah blah blah, the show is about to begin. And then he's out there. Literally he was on stage. Like it was like... It was like only second to seeing Taylor Swift, obviously. But... it was like pretty close up there. But for some reason, I and my twin have this disease that like live music and plays make us want to like instantly cry? Not quite sure what's up with that.

Oh, it makes you emotional.

Yeah. So as soon as he was on stage I was like "Don't cry, don't cry" in my head. And then... cause like... if any of you have—which hopefully some of you because you'll be my people—have watched the Eras Tour movie, she does the separate eras. I sobbed through the entire first era. And I know Lucas, my husband, was worried cause I just kept seeing... Like he just kept side-eying like, "Are you okay?"

You're like [crying noises].

Exactly. Just one thing after 30 years Dad does not learn this about me. Don't ask me questions when I'm crying. I literally, I will go to a decibel you cannot hear with human ears. With my crying. Like... if I'm crying I cannot speak. Don't ask me questions.

You do the same thing.

But like I loved Taylor Swift so much like seeing her in front of me. I was just like... you exist. I mean I've seen her four times thanks to you cause as a child she let me go, but...

Aww.

Yeah. If you're a Swifty comment because... not many people, I don't know if anyone on our staff is a fellow Swifty. And so sometimes I'm on an island alone.

If you love Hamilton... comment below.

Comment below.

Hi folks, here we are. Back from the pee break. And ready to talk about caulk. What's the talk about caulk?

We're gonna try to be mature about this topic.

No we're not.

Okay. For everyone listening, it is not "Culk." Just... some people do...

The L is C-A-U-L-K. But the L is silent.

Yes. Well, we're starting off with a game today.

Yay!

And I wasn't... when I was doing the research for this I was like... I'm not going to get into the weeds with this one. It's going to be fun. And boy oh boy did I. But, I summed it up and I took out most of the scientific words. But...

There's lots to learn about caulk.

There's a lot to learn. People just want to know when this thing needs something... which one do I use?

Oh that's true.

Um, but Dr. Lewis, Dr. Suzanne Lewis, for you that are listening, I do have one scientific word in there. I kept it just for you.

Does it start with the letter L?

No.

Why would it?

Sesame Street.

I don't get it.

I don't either. Your jokes? Lame.

That's valid.

Okay. So now we have stakes for this game.

Ooh. What is it?

I'm gonna win. You're gonna go down. You're gonna go down.

I'm scared. Surprises in the tote bag.

No way. Surprises. Are they edible? Is it vegetable? Is it fruit?

We're not playing 25 questions.

Okay.

And I have a pencil here.

Oh my gosh, 25 questions about tools would be fun.

That would be cool. We... Oh, so if you have questions about tools, put them in any of our places. And we will do an episode that's 25 questions about tools.

Oh is it? Made of metal or plastic? Oh okay.

I don't love that game. I'm on board. Is it made of caulk or caulk?

Caulk or sealant.

Hulk?

Hulk? The word association...

Now I'm imagining his biceps as caulk tubes.

Okay so, now we have stakes for our game. Which is perfect because Samantha might... you know do something incredibly competitive. Who knows. We'll see.

No, I am... I am the soul of discretion when it comes to competition.

You're so cool and mysterious over in that corner. You're just like...

Oh my god. I'm just a woman of mystery.

Okay so I'm gonna describe... something. Either a scenario or a type of caulk. And then you're gonna have to tell me what it is.

Alright, I'm on board.

Okay. So do we answer at the same time or is it like... it's her question, it's my question, it's her question, it's my question? Because she yells over me.

I do.

Okay. We'll do one at a time. But you can't change your answer based on the other person's. Okay?

Okay. We'll make up the rules as we go.

Whatever benefits me.

Who would have thought I was the quietest of the three? I've never been quiet.

Um... I don't know. But... are you ready for the game?

Sure.

Dun dun dun dun... Feels like the Hunger Games.

Okay I'm gonna say it and then I'll give you a second to think. Okay? This caulk is sticky, but water soluble.

Wait. How specific are we supposed to be? Like kind of caulk or like... Alex Dap 260 Exterior White?

You don't have to be that specific.

Okay. Sticky but water soluble. I mean they're all sticky.

I know. All right. You can guess.

Surround caulk? Like shower surround caulk?

Okay. What about you?

Not feeling so cocky about the game now! Not feeling caulky at all. I don't... I feel like they're all sticky, so I don't know. I lose this round.

You have to guess something.

I guess I lose then. Uh... Lactite.

No, that's not water soluble. That's just a brand. This is a hard game!

You're giving... It's like a story problem with details missing. I hate trivia so much. Ask me how to spell it.

I'll fail. Okay. Well I'm just gonna pull it out. We have some caulk laying up here. I'm just gonna pull this one out. Okay? It's not multiple choice. But read this off.

Paintable Silicone Supreme. Window Door and Exterior.

For those of you listening and I am giving her serious side-eye.

Hybrid Performance. Stickier than no else. But it IS water soluble. Low odor and it has a little nose on it. And it also has what I thought was a kangaroo but is actually a caulk gun.

So paintable silicone... so... doesn't it look kind of like a kangaroo if you like squint your eyes and tilt?

It does look like a kangaroo, yes.

I despise silicone caulk despite the fact that it has some very specific uses that need to be silicone. So this... one of the reasons I despise silicone is it's not paintable. So if you like caulk your trim with silicone, you are SOL.

And then you paint over it and then the paint like turns into little sad raindrops like your tears.

So that one says it's silicone but it's paintable. So I gave you side-eye because I'm suspicious.

Well, here. Let me explain something to you. So I looked up how it can be silicone and also paintable.

Tell me.

She's annoyed with us today.

It is because it is siliconized latex. So it's basically like a combination of some silicone like the chemical-ness of it. But it's got... like the base part of like being water soluble.

So what's the very specific... so we like paintable caulk with trim so we can paint close to it. And we like silicone caulk because it's waterproof. Like 100%. What is the purpose of this particular combo? What is it?

The edge of a shower? Where your drywall butts up to your shower surround?

Yeah.

That's kind of funny. This is random, I'm sorry. It's Friday and I'm crazy but... that's the version of like moissanite rings. Because it's carbon like a diamond plus silicone. That's what makes a moissanite.

I want some moissanite caulk.

So it's latex caulk plus silicone.

Okay. So Emily won that round.

So let me... I just want to go through this really quick. There are four components that make the paintable silicone different than anything else. And this one is different than water based and different than silicone. Okay. So it's kind of like in the middle.

They had a baby.

Yeah. So it has... this one's for you Dr. Lewis... Methyl-alkyl silicones. Which is like the part of it that overcomes the anti-paint part of the silicone. Okay. And then it's got silicone polymers in it, which is the silicone part of it. Okay. And then it has acrylic latex. And then it has some kind of cross-linker that like...

Makes them all stay together.

Like an emulsifier.

I think so.

And it makes it so that like they dry together. And it cures. Okay.

Okay.

It's like a peace talks person who makes everyone hug.

I think so. It's like when my mom would be like, "If you guys keep fighting I'm going to make you sit on the floor criss-cross applesauce hold hands and sing Kumbaya to each other."

And then you were like, "I like you, bye."

Yeah. And we did that all up until... the last time we all saw each other. She makes us do it to this day.

Okay. Score zero zero.

Okay. Next.

We have the same score, why did you make that noise?

Because I have zero.

Okay. What about tub to tile? What should you use?

Oh between your bathtub and a tile surround? Sanded caulk.

Was she supposed to answer first? You had last time first. Guess. Sanded caulk.

Yes. Sanded caulk. Which is actually a sealant. Which we'll get to the difference of those in a minute. So it's sanded sealant caulk. But we just call it sanded caulk.

Ooh. I love it. And I love the tech brand specifically from Menards. Because the grout matches the caulk including the caulk because it's sanded caulk is gritty like grout is. So when you caulk the edges with that sanded caulk it 100% blends in with your grout, but it's squishy and stretchable. So it does not crack.

Yeah. It's a really great product. It is kind of a learning curve when you use it because it's... it's not quite as simple as like a paintable... like the Alex Dap. But it's not sticky like silicone or like paintable silicone.

No. If you have any kind of tile, wherever there's a change in plane... P-L-A-N-E... so you go from vertical to horizontal or where two things come together like two different walls or perpendicular to each other. You don't use grout. Because houses move. And when those joints move, they'll crack. So that's the use for this when you have a tile job you have matching caulk that goes anywhere there's a change of plane.

And it looks better.

It does. It looks so good.

It looks a lot better than silicone. Yes. It doesn't change colors. You can get them in a variety of colors that match exactly. And it just like... it's not shiny. It has no gloss or anything to it. It just looks exactly like grout when it's dry. Which is really nice.

I think the best of like this kind of product is where you can't tell it's there.

Yes, exactly. It looks just like grout even though it's not.

Okay.

Okay. An outdoor grill.

An outdoor grill? Like... like if you have like an outdoor kitchen or something like that.

Going to use it outside. In that area.

I have an idea.

Let's hear it.

Like the heat resistant... like... it's like what you use to like glue a fire pit together.

Oh.

What about you?

I'm trying to imagine the use. Like I can picture the tube of it but I can't remember. Why... you're going to have to tell me... I need more story. I don't understand the use you're going for.

Okay. So you want something that's going to be outside. Okay? And be exposed to things that are outside and in like a cooking setting.

So you need something that can be exposed to heat. And the elements. I don't know what that is.

I think it's like mortar adhesive.

I'm... I'm losing and I'm sad. What is it? Though I want to know.

Okay. Um... it is a... silicone caulk that has... like silicone caulks have all different properties. But you're going to want something that's UV resistant with heat resistant. So those are two different factors and not all silicone caulks have them.

Okay. Does it have a specific name? Like would it be called something on the tube? Like regardless of what brand it is, would it have a name that would indicate that it's for heat and for exterior use?

Uh... yes but I can't remember it.

I'll do a quick Google.

Yeah do Google. While she's Googling...

I'm pretty sure it's like outdoor food silicone. Or whatever. Plus... silicone that's made for your kitchen is actually food safe.

Oh that makes sense. Yeah.

Which others are not.

Do do do do... Silicate fire resistant caulk.

Okay. There you go.

All right. So... that one is... I think you got it.

I did definitely not get it.

I was close-ish.

I think we're one to two. Emily's winning. Womp womp.

Yay!

Concrete patch or cracks.

So there's specifically a caulk that's called concrete patch. Or... but it depends on the purpose. Okay. So there are really two that I would guess. One would be like if you have just like a simple area you need to patch where you're going to be able to like squeeze it in and then maybe just spread it out a little. But then there's a specific kind of concrete crack caulk...

Oh the Sika one?

No, the one that is the self-leveling.

Oh. Sika Pro.

It comes out very liquidy, but then as it... it comes out and then it levels itself before it cures. And people use those a lot in the ga... in the cracks... or the gaps, the purposeful gaps between like driveway sections? Or sidewalk sections? They'll use those a lot of times. What it does is prevents water from getting into the crack and then freezing and then expanding and pushing the concrete apart. So... yeah I... we've used a lot of that self-leveling kind but I know that there are other kinds I actually see one on the table.

Yeah. Sika.

That's called concrete and mortar filler and sealant. This would be more for repairs where the other one is for like a purposeful anti-ice problem caulk.

I think she should get two points for that. Because she...

Do you get any points for that?

No cause I didn't answer nothing.

All right. It's three to two now.

Yep. Thanks buddy.

I know how to make you happy.

Yes you do.

Okay. Your kitchen sink.

Silicone. Straight silicone. Usually clear.

Despite being super bummed about using that. Yes.

Yes. Yep.

I have a fun story to go along with that.

That is because... silicone that's made specifically and marketed specifically for your kitchen is like the... I think they're like all of them that say kitchen on them are FDA approved.

Okay. So you could eat it? Just kidding.

I think you could. Yeah.

Disclaimer: Don't eat caulk.

Don't eat it.

But... it also is like non-toxic after it dries. It doesn't like leach into things. It doesn't let things leach into it.

Makes sense.

When caulking in your kitchen... just be a little careful. Cause this one time when it was just Samantha and I...

Talking about one of the worst days ever.

We... I did most of the research on products. Like she figured out how to do the thing and then I figured out what we needed to do the thing. That's kind of how we divided things.

We're putting a new sink in.

And so I bought caulk that was for it. It was 100% silicone and I was like... this is the creme de la creme. I looked it up. It was that GE stuff actually.

That's our favorite.

She didn't know that. And we'd only really used paintable caulk and like water soluble caulk. So I come down and she looks like...

It's like a baton in a running... running... she just hands me the caulk. I'm like, got it. Snap off the top. Put it in.

I come down. Her hands are covered in caulk. The counter is covered in caulk. She's been trying to like clean it up and it's like a little kid who got into something and she's like, "Help."

I'm sticky.

Yeah. When we say like silicone is not water soluble and like water won't help you clean it up... it's not just that water won't help you clean it up